The present invention relates to an electrical connector to be connected to a flat conductive member.
The flat conductive member includes a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) and a flat cable. The flat conductive member is often connected to an electrical connector (connector) mounted on a circuit board. Japanese Patent Publication, for example, has disclosed a conventional connector connected to the flat conductive member.
Patent Reference: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-143827
In the conventional electrical connector disclosed in Patent Reference, a plurality of terminals is made of a metal plate so that a flat surface of the metal plate is retained. The terminals are held with a housing so that the flat surfaces of the metal plates are parallel to each other in the housing. Each of the terminals includes a contacting arm (contact spring piece) at a lower side thereof and a supporting arm at an upper side thereof extending toward an opening of the housing for receiving the flat conductive member.
In the conventional electrical connector, a pressing member is disposed at the opening of the housing to be rotatable from an open position for receiving the flat conductive member easily to a closed position for pressing the flat conductive member to the contacting portion of the contacting arm after the flat conductive member is inserted. When the pressing member is at the open position, the flat conductive member is situated over the contacting portion of the contacting arm. Then, after the pressing member is rotated to the closed position, the pressing member presses the flat conductive member with a pressing portion thereof. Thereby, the flat conductive member contacts with the contacting portion of the contacting arm with a contacting pressure.
In the conventional connector described above, the terminal includes one contacting arm. The contacting arm includes contacting portions at two locations in an extending direction thereof for contacting with the flat conductive member steadily.
In the conventional connector described above, it is necessary to securely contact with the flat conductive member at the contacting portions thereof with a sufficient contacting pressure. Accordingly, it is desirable that the contacting arm elastically deforms by a large amount at a position of the contacting portion. To this end, in the conventional connector described above, the contacting portions are located close to a forefront portion of the contacting arm. Consequently, both of the contacting portions are situated close to each other and deform together.
Accordingly, in the conventional connector described above, when the flat conductive member is inserted into the connector, the two contacting portions situated on the one contacting arm contact with the flat conductive member almost concurrently. When the pressing member presses the contacting portions through the flat conductive member, the contacting portions deform concurrently by almost the same amount.
When the two contacting portions are not properly situated against the flat conductive member due to a designing error or a manufacturing error, even though the other of the contacting portions contacts with the flat conductive member with a proper contacting pressure, one of the contacting portions may not obtain a sufficient contacting pressure, thereby resulting in an unstable contact state.
In view of the problems described above, an object of the present invention is to provide an electrical connector to be connected to a flat conductive member including two contacting portions located independently with each other, and capable of obtaining a sufficient and steady contacting pressure with respect to the flat conductive member.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the invention.